NFL Trade Rumors: Did the Denver Broncos Try To Move Peyton Manning to Houston Texans?
Did the Denver Broncos try to move their quarterback Peyton Manning to the Houston Texans this offseason?
Citing several sources, sports radio personality Benjamin Allbright of 94.1 FM in Denver claimed that such was the case.
Brock Osweiler, the 24-year-old quarterback of the Broncos drafted in 2012, would be leading the Broncos, if the rumor is true.
While Allbright's posts came as a shock to Manning's fans, in another tweet, he added that "If inaccurate I welcome the correct details."
That's when Patrick Smyth, the Broncos' VP of PR, countered his statement.
ProFootballTalk reached out to the Texans who stated that "they weren't aware of the report" and that they still have to comment on it.
Manning was formerly interested to become part of the Texans' roster, according to CBS NFL insider Jason La Canfora, but is now willing to stay with the Broncos. The player, who made 4,727 passing yards last season, even made a deal with the team to include a no-trade clause in his restuctured contract this season, noted ProFootballTalk. Aside from that, the player also accepted a $4 million paycut from his salary. Sure, the Broncos did not like to trade him, but they actually negotiated for a $10 million reduction, 9News' Mike Klis revealed.
NFL Insider Ian Rapoport offered an explanation about these alleged trade talks via the Rich Eisen Show.
"What it sounds like is that the Texans -- without a quarterback and before they signed (Brian) Hoyer and (Ryan) Mallett -- reached out to teams and tried to see what was there," Rapoport said, as quoted by NFL.com
Rapoport indicated that the Broncos "might have fielded a call on Manning but did not make any calls themselves," wrote NFL.com.
Broncos general manager John Elway denied the trade talks via 9News. Meanwhile, Tom Condon, Manning's agent, gave a statement to the outlet via e-mail that read, "I've never spoke [sic] to Denver or Houston regarding a Peyton Manning trade."
Manning, who spent 13 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts before transferring to the Broncos, is set to receive $19 million for 2016, but his contract for that year was not restructured like this season's contract, added the Colorado news outlet.
The quarterback, who an AFC executive reportedly described as having "lack of velocity, declining arm strength" in his throws, may be open for trade in 2016, unless another agreement will be drafted.
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